Formation of the Street
Pekarska Street is one of the oldest streets in Lviv, located in the Lychakivskyi district. Its history dates back to the mid-16th century, when it was known as Tembzhytska or Temrychevska. The current name “Pekarska” was given to the street in 1690.
The street developed along a road laid parallel to the line of city bastion fortifications constructed in the 1690s on the initiative of Crown Hetman Stanisław Jabłonowski and under the supervision of Lviv commandant Jan Berens. These fortifications were built to protect the Halytskyi suburb of Lviv. In the 18th century, the street began to be built up with small estates, and by the mid-19th century, it featured a continuous row of multi-story buildings. In the 1890s, development reached what is now Patriarch Dymytrii Yarema Street. Later, the street was mostly developed with buildings belonging to educational and medical institutions, resulting in a discontinuous line of development.
In the upper part of the street to the south, there are green areas belonging to Lviv National Medical University, Lviv National University of Veterinary Medicine and Biotechnologies named after Stepan Gzhytskyi, and the Lviv Regional Infectious Disease Hospital. A hill known as Novokampianivska in earlier times and as Shumanivka from the 19th century rises above these institutions. Remnants of 17th-century fortification ramparts are still preserved there.
During the German occupation (from 1943), the street was renamed Bäckergasse (“Baker Street” in German). Its historical name was restored in July 1944.
Builders and Styles
At plot No. 11, a Neo-Renaissance villa-palace was built in 1878 for bookseller and publisher Franz Heinrich Richter. In 1899, the villa was purchased by the renowned Lviv photographer Dawid Mazur, who commissioned architect Karel Boublik to redesign it into a photo studio and laboratory. In 1911, Mazur sold the villa and land to printer Kazimierz Stanisław Jakubowski, who demolished the palace and constructed a four-story tenement house with a printing facility on the site.
The current building is a five-story row house. The symmetrical façade has seven axes. Its design incorporates modernized historicist forms. The fourth-floor level is separated from the rest of the façade by a cornice, and the roofline has a curved finish. From the street, the fifth floor is not visible, as its windows open only to the inner courtyard. In the rear of the plot, production premises of varying heights (up to six stories) were constructed. The façade features five balconies with stone balustrades.
Who Was the Owner?
The original owner of the villa was Franz Heinrich Richter. In 1899, it was acquired by photographer Dawid Mazur, who remodeled it into a photography studio. In 1911, Mazur sold the villa to printer Kazimierz Stanisław Jakubowski, who built the current tenement and printing facility on the site.
What Does the Building Look Like?
The building is a five-story tenement with a symmetrical seven-axis façade. The façade is decorated in modernized historicist style, featuring balconies with stone balustrades. From the street, the fifth floor is not visible, as its windows face only the inner courtyard. Production premises of varying heights (up to six stories) are located in the rear of the lot.
Interesting Facts
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From 1899 to 1911, the villa on this site operated as a photography studio belonging to the renowned Lviv photographer Dawid Mazur.
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In 1911, the villa was dismantled, and a tenement with a printing press was constructed in its place, which operated until the mid-20th century.
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In 2017, the building was sold by the Lviv Regional Council, and it is currently planned for reconstruction into an apart-hotel.
What Is There Now?
Today, the building at 11 Pekarska Street remains a residential property.
Bibliography
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Pekarska Street, 11 – Residential Building | Lviv Interactive
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Interesting Facts about Pekarska Street – Zaxid.net
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Former Printing House in Central Lviv to Be Converted into a 7-Story Hotel – Variany
